The eight members of the Activity Theory Group in Norway come from five universities and university colleges situated in different regions of the country. We are experienced researchers publishing articles for national and international journals. Our research focus is on education in various settings: teacher education, the education of school leaders, early childhood education and driving-instructor education. We are all members of the International Society of Cultural-Historical Research (ISCAR) and ISCAR´s regional group for the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The Activity Theory Group was established in the early 1990s. Sigrun Gudmundsdottir (1948-2003), professor in pedagogy at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, introduced the tradition of holding special seminars with her Master’s degree students. Some of these students also completed their doctoral theses with Sigrun as their supervisor and are now the eldest members of the group. We meet twice a year. During one of these gatherings we meet for one day to discuss articles, our own forthcoming texts or articles published by other researchers, that we have read beforehand. These gatherings end with an informal dinner at one of the members’ homes. The other gathering is a three-day seminar where we write texts and give each other feedback. We now intend to publish a book of articles based on research conducted in various settings and with activity theory as the theoretical framework.

Seminars and conferences

• Jun 2017: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Hitra
• Sept 2017: ISCAR 2017, Quebec
• Nov 2017: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Trondheim Jun 2018:    Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Selbu
• Jun 2019: 8th Nordic-Baltic ISCAR, Trondheim
• Sept 2019: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Hitra
• Oct 2020: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Trondheim
• Aug 2021: ISCAR 2021, Brasil (online)
• Nov 2021: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Trondheim
• Jun 2022: 9th Nordic-Baltic ISCAR, Helsinki
• Nov 2022: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Oslo
• April 2023: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Zoom
• June 2023: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Selbu
• Nov 2023: Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Trondheim

A Selection of  publications

Blomsø, S. Ø., Jakhelln, R. E., & Postholm, M. B. (2023). Student teachers’ experience of participating in a research and development project in Norway. Frontiers in Education, 8.

Dalland, E. B. (2020). Young refugees meeting another road safety culture: developing work in bridging a road safety gap. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 26-41). Routledge.

Dalland, E. B. (2012). The Driving Test in Norway: An Intervention Study. In L. Dorn (Red.), Driver Behaviour and Training (Vol. 5). Ashgate.

Dalland, E. S. B. (2014). Førerprøven i et helhetlig perspektiv. En intervensjonsstudie. [Doktorgradsavhandling]. Norges teknisk-vitenskapelige universitet.

Dille, K. B. (2023). Professional development and the potential for collaboration between schools and universities. [Doktorgradsavhandling]. Norges teknisk-vitenskapelige universitet.

Frisch, N. S. (2020). Inspired of the concept of boundary objects in arts education. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 42-57). Routledge.

Frisch, N. S. (2013). Hekta på tegning: Løpeildeffekten som læring. I N. S. Frisch (Red.), Tegningen Lever. Nye dialogiske perspektiver på tegneundervisning i grunnskolen (s. 63-79). Akademika.

Frisch, Nina Scott (2013). Hooked on peers`drawings: the visual wildfire. In J. B. Reitan et al. (Ed.), DRS – CUMULUS Oslo 2013 – Design learning for tomorrow - Design education from kindergarten to PhD. (Vol. 4), pp.1983-1995. ABM-media.

Frisch, N. S. (2011). Ways of talking about drawing practices. Sociocultural views: Gombrich and the visually controlled drawing. FormAakademisk, 4(2), 26-37.

Frisch, N. S. (2010). To see the visually controlled. [Doktorgradsavhandling]. Norges teknisk-vitenskapelige universitet.

Jakhelln, R., & Postholm, M.B. (2022). University–school collaboration as an arena for community-building in teacher education. Educational Research, 46(4), 457-572.

Jensen, R., & Vennebo, K. F. (2016). How school leadership development evolves: crossing timescales and settings. Journal of Workplace Learning, 28(6), 338-354.

Madsen, J. (2020). Cultural-historical activity theory as the basis for mentoring student teachers in triads. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 58-72). Routledge.

Nilsen, V. & Klemp, T. (2020). Encouraging working and communicating like mathematicians: an illustrative case on dialogic teaching. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 73-90). Routledge.

Postholm, M.B. (2023). Innføring i skoleutvikling for lærerstudenter. Med FoU- og masteroppgaven som grunnlag. Fagbokforlaget.

Postholm, M.B. (2020). Schools conducting research in collaboration with researchers. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 12-25). Routledge.

Postholm, M.B. (2020). The Importance of the Start-Up Phase in School-Based Development for Learning and Enduring Change. European Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 572-586.

Postholm, M.B. (2020). Formative Interventions and Action Research and Learning. Educational Research, 62(3), 324-339.

Postholm, M.B. (2020). Premises and Promises for Expansive Learning in Teacher Education. Frontiers in Education, 5(41), 1-11.

Postholm, M.B. (2019). Research and development in school. Grounded in cultural historical activity theory. Brill Academic Publishers.

Postholm, M.B. (2019). The teacher educator’s role as enacted and experienced in school-based development. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(3), 320-333.

Postholm, M. B. (2018). Reflective thinking in educational settings: an approach to theory and research on reflection. Educational Research, 60(4), 427-444.

Postholm, M.B. (2016). Collaboration between Teacher Educators and Schools to enhance Development. European Journal of Teacher Education, 39(4), 452-470. 

Postholm, M.B. (2015). Methodologies in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory: The example of School-based Development. Educational Research, 57(1), 43-58.

Postholm, M.B. (2011). A Completed Research and Development Work Project in School: The Teachers’ Learning and Possibilities, Premises and Challenges for Further Development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(3), 560-568.

Postholm, M.B. (2008). The Start-Up Phase in a Research and Development Work Project: A Foundation for Development". Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(3), 575-584.

Postholm, M.B. (2008). Cultural historical activity theory and Dewey’s idea-based social constructivism: Consequences for Educational Research. Outlines, (1), 37-48.

Postholm, M.B. & Moen, T. (2011). Communities of development: A new modell for R&D work. Journal of Educational Change, 12(4) 385-401.

Postholm, M.B., Dahl, T., Engvik, G., Fjørtoft, H., Irgens, E. J., Sandvik, L. V., Wæge, K. (2013). En gavepakke til ungdomstrinnet? En undersøkelse av piloten for den nasjonale satsingen på skolebasert kompetanseutvikling. Akademika forlag.

Postholm, M.B., Klemp, T., & Nordboth, M, (under review). Student teachers and teacher educators in university and school working collectively on the students’ R&D projects. SJER

Postholm, M.B. & Vennebo, K. F. (2020). The texts in context. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 12-25). Routledge.

Sandvik, L.V. (2016). Hvordan utvikle vurderingskulturer? I H. Fjørtoft & L. V. Sandvik (Red.), Vurderingskompetanse i skolen. Praksis, læring og utvikling, s. 270-292. Universitetsforlaget

Sandvik, L.V. (2012). Skrivekompetanse i fremmedspråk - hva innebærer det? Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift, (2), 154-165.

Sandvik, L.V. (2011). Via mål til mening. En studie av skriving og vurderingskultur i grunnskolens tyskundervisning. [Doktorgradsavhandling]. Norges teknisk-vitenskapelige universitet.

Sandvik, L.V. & Emstad, A. B. (2020). Realizing data-driven changes and teacher agency in upper secondary schools through formative interventions. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 91-107). Routledge.

Strand, G. M. (2019). Experiencing the transition to lower secondary school: Students’ voices. International Journal of Educational Research, 97, 13–21.

Strand, G. M. (2020). Experiencing the transition to lower secondary school: Parents’ voices. I K. Smith (Red.), Validity and value of teacher education research (s. 73–90). Fagbokforlaget.

Strand, G. M. (2020). Supporting the transition to secondary school: The voices of lower secondary leaders and teachers. Educational Research, 62(2), 129–145.

Vennebo, K. F. & Aas, M. (2021). Building leadership capacity in school leadership groups: an action research project. Educational Action Research, 31(2), 348–365

Vennebo, K. F. & Aas, M. (2020). Leadership and change in a Norwegian school context: Tensions as productive driving forces. Educational Management Administration & Leadership.50(6), 963- 978.

Vennebo, K.F. (2020). A study of case-based problem-solving work in groups of principals participating in a school leadership programme. In M.B. Postholm & K. F. Vennebo (Ed.), Applying cultural historical activity theory in educational settings: Learning, development and research (pp. 108-125). Routledge.

Vennebo, K. F. & Aas, M. (2020). A supportive tool for principals in guiding professional group discussions. Educational Research. 62(3), 266-283.

​Vennebo, K. F. (2016). Innovative work in school development: exploring leadership enactment. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 45(2), 298-315.

Vennebo, K. F. (2015). School Leadership in Innovative Work: Places and Spaces. [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Oslo.

Vennebo, K. F. & Ottesen, E. (2014). The emergence of innovative work in School development. Journal of Educational Change, 16(2), 197-216.

Vennebo, K. F. & Ottesen, E. (2011). School leadership: constitution and distribution. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 15(3), 255-270.

2024

• August 2024: International ISCAR Congress, Rotterdam
• June 2024:   Seminar The Norwegian Activity Group, Hitra

2020

• Book Release: Applying Cultural Historical Activity Theory in Educational Settings harnesses research and development for educational improvement, bridging the gap between research and practice. Exploring how collaborations between researchers and practitioners can be used to co-construct solutions to real-world problems, this book considers key concepts in cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), including models as resources that can be used to build and facilitate collaboration between researchers and practitioners. The chapters of the book draw on research findings from the practices of learning communities in diverse educational settings: teacher education, the education of school leaders, early childhood education and driving teacher education.